Tips for Triumphant Living--Be ready.

II Timothy 4:2 says, “Be ready in season and out of season.”

So, what does that mean exactly? Simply put, I think it means BE READY, whether you feel like it or not. We can’t wait until we feel inspiration or a supernatural pulse from God to step out in service or in faith. We need to live every day in obedience, trusting our Lord.

I’m a writer, and if I wrote only when I felt inspired I’d never get anything done. I have to plant myself in my chair in front of my computer every day inspired or not. I have to go to work.

I love my job, but often what I put down on paper feels anything but inspired. And yet, so many times I look back at something I’ve written and wonder, "Where did that come from? Did I write that?" Then I remember God is with me whether I feel His presence or not. Of course there are times when I read and shudder at what I've written. And I have to rewrite. But it’s okay; rewriting is part of the creative process. And surprisingly, I love it!

Inspired moments are to be treasured, but we can’t live in that place counting only on the exceptional flashes of inspiration to do what God asks of us. If we live that way our life will be like dust, producing nothing.

So . . . BE READY and know that God is with you.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Tips for triumphant living--Seek more than a snapshot.

We look at circumstances, weigh choices, consult friends and think we possess wisdom, believing we know what is best. But Isaiah 3:22 says, "Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he."

Whoa! That catches one's attention. I love God's Word, but sometimes I'm unable to rest in it. I search for guidance in all kinds of places, which includes my Bible, my Lord, my friends. And, still, I worry about what I should or shouldn't do. God says I'm to rest in Him. He offers me true peace of mind.

In truth, what good is my knowledge and wisdom when compared to God's? Think about it; He created the entire universe; He spoke it into being. He knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. I have only a snapshot of life, one piece of a very large puzzle. God sees the entire picture. It makes little sense to trust in my own perspective when I can have God's.

Being residents of this world, we often trust in what we feel, what we believe and see. In light of who God is it seems that true wisdom would drive us to Him. He welcomes us; we can approach His throne with confidence and place our burdens at His feet.

God has all the right answers. If we trust in our own views rather than His then we are behaving foolishly and may well pay the consequences. And we need to keep in mind that God loves His children enough to allow those consequences.

He has a better plan. The best plan. Trust Him.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie